Hollow Retribution
by P. Ryusaki
Summary: Time elapses, memories fade, and seasons continue. That's how life seemed to flow for Jack ever since his rebirth. Mineral Town is rumored to manifest what is lost, something that he was going to test. Jack x ? -Harem-


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harvest Moon.

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**Rated: **T for adult situations, violence, and more.

**Summary: **Memories are said to exist throughout suffering and time, though such isn't always the case. Kino, despite being called Jack repeatedly, gave up on resurfacing his lost memories a long time ago. This was mostly due to fear, anger, and other emotions that his Master taught him to weaken, or in emergencies, treat as foreign. This "Master", known as Rod to the inhabitants of Mineral Town, died in Kino's arms when they finally retrieved a rare flower meant for curing his wife's illness. In the end, Kino takes it upon himself to fulfill his Master's last request without hesitation. He had no memories, no home, no family...He had nothing to lose. From that point on, he would take Rod's place in Mineral Town by not only protecting his family, but making sure peace would always be associated to the small population that lived there. Yet, with an unknown past being retold from different people and various women playing with his mind, how can he be sure that he himself would stay there for years to come?

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**Chapter 1: Arcane Substitute**

-

Tsukuyomi Boat – 5:00 AM -Spring 01-

The greenish blue color of the sea dominated his sight as he glanced for a second to look at it. Looking up was far more interesting.

The sky...To say it was beautiful would be an understatement. Liquid sunshine fell from the heavens, cascading down the edges of the boat he was currently using to get to Mineral Town.

"How could anyone relate rain to gloom?" the young man who was staring at the sky asked no one in particular. His clothes were clinging to his body without a dry spot in sight. Apparently, he had no qualms with getting drenched from weather and sea.

"Hey! Boy, get back in here! You've been gawking at the clouds like a zombie for two freaking hours!" yelled an obviously annoyed captain of the seafaring boat.

"My name's not 'boy', old man! It's Kino!" he shouted over as he made his way to the cabin where the captain was.

"Sheesh! Calm down, I was just trying to prevent you from catching something. Oh, and the name's Zack, if you weren't paying attention before." The muscular man crossed his arms as he stared at the soggy form of his young passenger. "You're lucky I even brought you with me, there aren't any other boats that would accommodate you with such little pay for the trip."

Kino sneezed before replying, "I-I know that, and I appreciate it..." He unbuckled the two leather belts across his waist and carefully held them before letting the strips separate. "I'm surprised you didn't have any complaints about me having weapons." A soft thud was heard as they fell onto the padded couch behind him.

"Well, in this day and age I believe that anyone has a good reason to carry one. But when you get to Mineral Town you'll see why you won't need them. The only person who carries a real weapon is the town's police man, Harris." Zack watched as Kino shrugged off his soaked rider's jacket and another belt under it that possibly held ammunition for the iron persuader he dropped.

"A man once told me that if one wants to feel trusted by the other, he would have to show his hand to reach a collaboration of sorts." Kino picked up both of his weapons. "This is a custom dagger," he explained as he unsheathed it from its scabbard attached to the belt, "It's not too short, almost long enough to be a short sword. Its design is similar to the Chinese falchions seen in the Ming Dynasty, the Kan-Dao kinds. This particular one is called the 'Bakuya'."

"What made you pick up something like that? It's not like you'd have much of a chance against someone with a gun." Zack sat down in his captain's seat at an odd angle so he wouldn't lose view of where his boat was headed.

"I thought it was common sense. In close-quarters combat, blades are more effective than bare fists and firearms. Though, that could be debatable..." The man across from Kino shrugged with indifference, a sure sign that he probably thought a gun would still be better. "Well, since you're not impressed with that, how about this?" He took the revolver out of its holster with pride only a true six-shooter could identify.

"How good would that artifact be in a gun fight? Looks as ancient as the ones shown in some Western movies I've seen."

"..." Kino shook his head in a pity-like fashion. "You don't know much about these things, do you?"

"I think I know enough to be able to see a sorry excuse for a gun when it's in front of me." Zack had muscle, but brains and wit didn't seem to fit into the seams of his brawny physique.

"You any good at frisbee?" Kino asked humorously.

Zack pumped his arms in the air triumphantly. "Heck yea, these guys aren't here for nothing!" He emphasized his statement by patting his biceps.

"Now...Do you have any old plates or objects in a disc form that you want to get rid of?" The twinkle in Kino's eye was barely perceptible to the confused captain in front of him.

"Huh? Of course, got some right behind ya. What are you proposing, kid?"

Kino stroked the barrel of his revolver thoughtfully, "Moon Phase, a .44 single action revolver that uses liquid explosive instead of gunpowder. Adaptations are possible though..." He took off his dark viridian hat and threw it behind him onto the couch. His auburn hair was flattened from its previous occupant and the moisture from outside. "Come on, I'll give you a demonstration of how efficient this girl is. Gather some of those plates, set this boat on autopilot or whatever, and join me outside real quick."

The skeptical man nodded slowly and did as he was told while Kino loaded 'Moon Phase' with some type of rubber looking ammunition.

"All set; let's see how horrible you are!" Zack's toothy grin did little to offset Kino's semi-cheerful demeanor.

-

Dock Area – 7:31 AM -Spring 01-

"Some hand that was...You were playing 'Joker' the whole time, brat." Zack grimaced as he slapped a portion of his month's salary into Kino's open hand.

"That's for calling me anything other than Kino, and for doubting 'her'." Kino tapped his iron persuader inside its holster attached to his belt. "Now that we're on more stable land, want to test Bakuya?" Even though his hat obscured Zack's view of his eyes it was obvious that there was humor behind them.

"I'm not taking any chances, twerp. If you're as good with swordsmanship as you are with marksmanship I'd probably end up owing you more than just my whole month's salary."

"Yet, you still call me names." The auburn-haired man looked over at the cargo on the small boat they arrived in together. "You mind helping me bring that box over to this town's church?"

Zack looked over to where Kino motioned with understanding. "Sure, what's in it anyway? I forgot to ask because of all that stuff I was loading, plus the check-ups I had to do. Don't tell me it's something illegal..."

"No, no, no!" Kino smiled good naturedly while swinging his arms slowly in protest. "It's-"

"Zack! You need to get ready! The funeral is scheduled to start at 8:30 AM!" A small, mustached man in a red suit ran up the beach towards them, shouting at the muscular man.

"Wha?! That's right, I almost forgot! Sorry, Kino, but I've got to get ready. I'll help you out later; it'll be a few hours." The mound of muscle ran hectically to a house nearby, which Kino assumed was his home.

"Hey, son!" The young man's attention snapped forward only to see no one in front of him.

"...Look down a little."

"Ah, hello Mister...?" Kino addressed him curiously while his eyes focused on one of the most enormous nose's he had seen in his lifetime.

"Mayor Tom, or just Thomas if you want." The mayor regarded him with a particular interest, as if sizing him up for some kind of contest. "You look rather young to be traveling alone. What's your business here?"

"I've come to honor my Master's last wishes." Kino pointed back to the long rectangular, wooden box on the cargo hold of the boat behind him. "His body lies in there, along with a copy of his will he told me to lay on him. He wanted to be buried where he spent most of his life, in Mineral Town. I had to go through a lot of trouble to get here, so I'd appreciate it if someone would help me find his family."

Thomas looked shocked, to say the least. Sure, it wasn't common for their town to receive travelers, but it was even more uncommon for them to have one dragging around a dead person said to be from there.

"Wh-who is it?" The Mayor seemed to be looking at Kino's weapons with more interest after his statement.

The auburn-haired man looked thoughtfully towards the box, hoping that the person inside would magically resurrect. "His name was Rod. He never told me his last name, but he spoke fondly of this town and its inhabitants." Regret was another emotion he was trained to dull, almost more so than anger.

"It couldn't be...Lillia's husband? But, he's been gone for almost twelve years!" The little man's face was becoming as red as his suit. "After so long, and he comes back dead. Did you know? He never once sent a letter to his wife through his supposed 'journey' to find a cure for her! That-argh!"

Kino shot out his hand to signal the furious mayor to shut up.

"You're wrong. He tried, but he was worried. He had doubts that would cause even the most faithful of husbands to become speculative of their relationships. Master didn't want her to have negative feelings about him being out there, so he hoped that she had found someone while he was gone." The young man shoved his hands into his dark-green, almost black, rider's jacket. "Someone to comfort her in ways that he couldn't. He distressed at having to make her become guilty if she was in such a predicament. So, he thought it better to spend his energy looking for that cure."

Thomas stared at the sand beneath his shoes. "That still doesn't excuse him from the pain he caused her...Did he-"

The mayor was interrupted as a hand was brought in close proximity of his face with an exotic looking flower in his hand. "We did. We found it together, but not without a price. That's why he's dead."

"How-" The hand with the flower was quickly withdrawn and its owner disrupted him once again.

"Master wanted his family to know first, and I assume that from there his story will spread like wildfire. At least, I hope it does. Everyone deserves to know how much he struggled to find this." Kino promptly put it in an oval container of some sort.

"As the mayor of this town, I have to ask you what connection you have with him, as he is a citizen. Also, if there are any, what other purposes do you have of visiting here? You may keep your arms, but know that if you use them in any way that is against our law that you'll be strictly governed accordingly."

Kino stared at him with a visible grin. At least the mayor wasn't as irrational as he seemed to be a moment ago. "Well, after he receives proper burial, and I give what his will described to his family, he requested that I take up residence here. If that's okay, that is."

Kino wasn't a stranger to rejection in his journey with Rod. The two of them were often pushed out or flatly told to leave many times when trying to find an Inn in foreign countries. Yet, he hadn't seen such fervor or anger being built up in a rejection as he was currently seeing in the mayor. This would probably be the most insulting and memorable of them. After all, he was bringing a body of one of their citizen's back, and he himself didn't look that trustworthy of a person.

"This is incredible! The Harvest Goddess must have been listening to my prayers!"

He almost fell over when he heard Thomas's joyous outburst. "What?"

"Everything fits, like a puzzle! For awhile I thought I'd never find the missing pieces, but now that you're here there'll be no problem, my boy!" The small man clapped Kino's stomach, as it was as high as he could reach, and continued, "You see, we recently had an unfortunate death occur here. Most of our profits, about 70 percent to be more exact, come from the products of this town's farm. The owner, a very old and selfless man, died several days ago due to physical exhaustion."

"Is that who the funeral is for today?" Kino asked curiously, at first he had thought that the town had somehow received word of Rod's death, but his conversation with the Mayor nullified that.

"Yes. It's sad because none of his relatives have come to send their goodbyes. We tried contacting them, there were only two mind you, and only one of them sent a reply." The Mayor started scratching his chin thoughtfully, "If memory serves me right, it was his son-in-law. His letter specifically said that he wanted nothing to do with Mineral Town. It's probably because his wife died while on a visit here, she was a sickly one."

"Who was the other person you tried to contact?"

"It was his only grandson, Jack. I don't remember what he looked like, but he had been here quite a few times. His last visit was five years ago I believe." Thomas sighed deeply, "He would be nineteen now..."

"...Would be?" Kino couldn't help but feel intrigued at how unlucky the old farmer was to not have anyone that cared about him, family wise that is.

"Yes. We received his letter with his father's, the son-in-law of the Grandfather, which specifically outlined that Jack was dead. It didn't go into detail though, so I don't know how he exactly died..."

Kino didn't like the change in atmosphere, so he decided to get to the point. He was feeling pretty tired. "So, I guess Jack was your candidate to take over the farm, right?"

"Correct. This is why I see your request as a golden opportunity, my boy!" Thomas became cheerful again.

The young man shook his head, annoyed at how no one seemed to want to call him by his name. "Alright, I'll do it on two occasions."

The Mayor's game face slipped on quickly. "Name them."

"One; Master receives a proper burial and you explain to all the villagers that he wasn't some kind of lazy bum, trying to avoid being home, away from his family."

"Granted, though that's basically two right there..."

Kino ignored him and continued, "Two; give me a tour of Mineral Town so I can get familiarized with the place. I hate getting lost, call it human nature."

Thomas laughed humorously, most likely because his "prayers" were answered by his Harvest Goddess, or whatever false deity the people in Mineral Town worshipped.

"You've got yourself a deal, son! Now come with me, we'll have to get you dressed up for the funeral."

"Huh?" So, maybe he did feel sorry for the old farmer, but that didn't mean he knew the guy well enough to barge into his own funeral. Those types of rituals were left for loved ones, not strangers like himself.

"This'll be my way of introducing you to the people of Mineral Town. After the whole eulogy session is done, I'll announce that you will be taking over the farm." There was a slightly mischievous glint in the Mayor's eye. "I bet the ladies will be pleased to see that a young, handsome man such as yourself will be taking on a task like this."

He just had to hit for the weak spot. Kino was of the male gender, after all. "You're a dirty old man, you know that?"

"Only when it comes to negotiations, my boy!" Mayor Thomas chuckled childishly.

"Thomas! I'll head over to the church to help set up the funeral." Zack sped by without stopping to hear the Mayor's reply.

"We should get going ourselves, right Kino?" Thomas looked up at the soon to be farmer of Mineral Town.

Finally. "Yeah, lead the way." He may have gotten rid of some his burden upon his arrival, but a new set of weights was latched onto him now.

-

Trinity Church – 8:54 AM -Spring 01-

"Why couldn't you be faster at changing, Kino?" The now black suit wearing mayor waddled at a fast pace towards the church.

"I'm sorry, but none of your clothes exactly fit my height!" The young traveler ran ahead of the Mayor knowing that it would be easy to know which building was the church. He ended up having to wear the same rider's outfit he had been sporting for the past few days. "Besides, you're the one who fell asleep when you were supposed to wake me up from my cat nap!"

"No more excuses, m'boy. We're just about there. Let's at least make ourselves look neater before going in."

The both of them smoothed out their attire and dusted themselves off. Thomas was slightly out of breath while Kino showed no signs of fatigue.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

Opening the door felt like an eternity, with the creak of the wood making it seem more prolonged than usual. When they finally got in Kino felt the whole room staring at his figure, as if they were expertly analyzing who he was before he could even introduce himself. He noticed that the majority of them were focused on his waist area, most likely because of the weapons attached to his person. Several of the others, mainly women, were either scrutinizing his face or trying to find some blemish he did not have.

"And so we-Ah! Mayor, we were wondering where you were. Hopefully you weren't in some kind of trouble on your way here. You look slightly worn out." The man, who he assumed was the pastor, extended his concerns towards the small man.

"I'm quite alright, thank you, Carter. Sorry for the interruption. Please, continue with the service." The pastor nodded in affirmation as the both of them took a seat in the last row.

"Our greatest wishes will reach beyond the heavens, for the Harvest Goddess has blessed us with the gift of prayer. With the words of loved ones, and intangible feelings spent for his sake, Jake's soul will finally rest in peace. Please, bow your heads once more, in silent prayer."

Everyone did as instructed, except for Kino, though it seemed only the mayor noticed. In truth, he wasn't much of a religious person. To Kino, religion was an aspect of life only to be participated in if the person was severely insecure. That wasn't to say that he always felt sure of himself, but enough to not want to lean on the shoulder of some invisible or illusionary force.

"Thank you, we will now proceed with the reading of Jake's will. But before that, will you please introduce the visitor with you, Mayor? Is he perhaps, the grandson we were looking for?" The attention from before returned to Kino.

"Unfortunately, Carter, he is not. He's a traveler, a friend of Rod's." If people weren't paying attention before, they were now. He even heard a gasp from somewhere near him.

"You're wrong! That's Jack, I know it is!"

Kino whirled his head around to spot whose outburst that was. "Who said that?"

"You know damn well who said it, Jack Harvest!" Kino spotted her, three rows ahead of him. Her dark blond hair contrasted with the bright golden bangs put to the side. Like every other female in the building, she was wearing a plain black dress.

"Karen! Don't jump to conclusions, the mayor would know if he was or not. You shouldn't doubt his experience." A timid looking man attempted to scold her but sounded more like a sheep trying to yell like a lion. It seemed he forgot to tell her not to swear in a Church...

Another young woman stood up, her short, near shoulder length hair bobbing excessively as she did so. It was a deep mahogany color, one that made him feel nostalgic. "Jeff, I think she's right. Look at him; he looks just like the boy who visited here years ago. I...I should know."

"The minute he walked in, I knew it was him...I'm so relieved..." A bubblegum pink-haired girl across from Thomas sighed happily while closing her eyes and clutching her hands to her rather sizeable chest.

Murmurs broke out like an epidemic through the whole building. This wasn't right. He wasn't religious, but he knew when he was ruining something that was holy, something meant for a great person leaving the world's plane of existence. He was stealing the spotlight from someone who truly deserved it, a lonely farmer whose selfless deeds caused the entire town to participate in his funeral.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, I'll leave immediately!" Kino ran out of the row, bowed deeply towards the pastor, and rushed out of the Church hearing protests from various people as he made his way to the beach.

"You people just scared away our potential candidate for the farm..." The small mayor rubbed his temples, feeling that a migraine would soon be settling in.

"What do you mean? He's Jack, it's his obligation to restore the farm. I know for sure he wouldn't be able to live it down, since old man Jake stated that he wanted him to." Karen wiped a few strands of her hair behind her ears. She smirked in a feline-like matter, "I'll be able to convince him, no worries." An orange-haired man next to her frowned with disdain.

"That young man that ran out was not Jack, his name is Kino. He's a traveler who has journeyed to many different countries along side Rod." The mayor explained in an authoritative voice.

"Is it true? Is Rod back?" A woman with pink hair similar to the younger one next to her asked.

"Kino brought him back, but he's not alive. I'm sorry to say this Lillia, but Rod has left us. Before you say anything, know that he died honorably, finding the flower that will help you become healthy again. In fact, Kino has it with him at this moment."

"I always assumed that he had died long ago, I never thought I'd see him again...but..."

Everyone gathered to comfort Lillia, and they progressively discussed how to go about the change in events.

-

Mineral Beach – 11:37 AM -Spring 01-

He felt very uncomfortable. Not once in his life, to his knowledge, did he ever feel like this in any village or country he had visited. It was like he was being indirectly altered with, brainwashed by the atmosphere. The earlier accusations were making him question the one thing he had thrown away, his past. It didn't matter anyway. He was Kino, a traveler and soon to be protector of Mineral Town. That didn't mean he liked it though. He was doing it for Rod, the man who had rescued him five years ago.

"They're wrong, all of them. I'm Kino. That's all there is to it." His dark viridian hat lay to his right side as he stared up at the stormy sky above him. He was on top of Zack's house near the dock area. For some reason his body was tugged towards this particular spot while he was looking for somewhere to hide.

"You may say that, but everyone's convinced you're Jack. Is there something I should know, Kino?"

Kino abruptly drew Moon Phase towards the voice and put his other hand swiftly next to Bakuya's handle.

"Whoa! Calm down, m'boy! Didn't know you were that antsy!" Kino dropped his stance before going back to his laid position on the roof. The ladder the mayor was using almost dropped due to his surprise at having the young man point the revolver at him.

"How did you find me?" Kino felt a drop of liquid fall onto his face. It would be raining soon.

"Elli, one of the girls who accused you of being Jack earlier, pointed out all of the possible places the real Jack would hide on these occasions. Turns out you and him might share a lot in common, eh?" The small mayor's smirk was barely kept back as he stared at Kino's twitching eyebrow.

"It was just a subconscious reaction. Was he properly sent off?" Kino felt a few more droplets hit his face.

"Yes, and Rod has been buried also. Lillia, his wife, wanted to do it as soon as possible. She seems to be taking it well, despite how much she cried when she heard the news. Her and Popuri really want to meet you, y'know?" Thomas resigned to lying back on the roof, just as Kino was doing at the moment.

"Popuri?" Her name sounded so familiar... He wasn't about to lament for his Master, he had said his goodbyes to him many days ago.

"That's Lillia's daughter, she's also convinced that you're Jack. That girl had an unhealthy obsession with him."

"How come you didn't let them know that Jack was dead?" It wasn't like there was anything to hide, Kino reasoned.

"Well, she's not the only one. Many of the citizens, mainly the younger generation near his age, were very attached to him. They wouldn't simply mourn for his death; they would find some way to prove it wrong."

"It can't be that bad. I mean, no one can be that close to one another, right?" Kino asked with a subtle amount of interest.

"I guess you're not much of a sociable person, Kino. Jack would always be throwing gifts around to everyone, talking to them, even help if he could with some of their problems. It was a wonder, seeing such an energetic soul running around like that; it was similar to how his grandfather acted when he was younger. But it was even more surprising since that child was raised in a city atmosphere, a place that would surely corrupt even the most innocent of children." It was now steadily raining.

"You talk about him as if he was a saint or something, must have really gotten under the skin of those guys, eh?" If all what the mayor had said was true, then he definitely wasn't Jack. He rarely gave gifts to anyone, disliked having conversations with total strangers, and only helped people if they asked for it. Plus, he didn't remember ever being brought up in the city.

"If you mean in the good way, yes. That's why I'm going to refrain from telling them. I know it may be too much to ask, but please, let them believe you are Jack." The mayor sat up to stare at him.

"Hm...I'll think about it." Kino clicked his tongue, a habit of his that occurred whenever he was particularly wary of some kind of circumstance.

"Thanks, Kino. I guess I'll leave now, it's almost lunch time, and the rain's probably going to get heavier. Want to join me for lunch, m'boy?" The red nosed man sat up and descended the ladder.

"I'm good, I'll buy something to eat later." He replied with a slight wave as the mayor touched ground.

"Alright, but come over to the inn tonight," The mayor pointed in the direction it was located, "There's going to be a spirit's festival to honor Jake's life and his contributions to Mineral Town. It'll be a good chance for you to meet everyone, and to introduce yourself. Who knows, maybe you could fill us all in on your story!" Thomas waddled off happily, exiting the beach area and into the town plaza.

"My story, huh." Kino stayed there, gazing at the tremulous clouds above him, contemplating how much of "his" story he should tell.

"I don't want to start off on the wrong foot, I'll tell them the truth, Master. Forgive me, killing you was the only option..." His mind wandered back to the day "he" was born. Five years ago, abandoned with no signs of family or any other familiars around him. No links to who he could lean on and a blank template for a mind. If Rod hadn't found him, he probably would have died from a variety of factors. Depression, hunger, curiosity, the list could go on...

"Guess from now on I'll be a replacement for you and Jack." Kino stood up, stretched his back, and jumped off the roof despite its height. He landed softly and looked at the sea once more before nodding to himself, as if he knew what the right thing to do was.

-

Bluebird Inn – 12:37 PM -Spring 01-

Mineral Town was no different than any other village, with rumors spreading around at the speed of light, secrets never really true to their definition, and even the smallest of worries made main themes of discussion for weeks on end. Though, the subject of today was far more worthy than the others. It was the supposed traveler, Kino.

Lunchtime, the part of the day where the majority of talk about anything and everything was exchanged like currency. Doug watched as his daughter, Ann, ran around like a chicken with its head cut off, taking and sending orders in a rush. Today was probably the busiest they had been for awhile. He couldn't blame the villagers though, he himself wanted to join in and add his own opinion of the foreigner. The red-headed man shook his head, he was supposed to be concentrating on cooking, not acting like some housewife. "Hey, Ann! Three specials ready for table one and three sashimi dishes for table two!!"

"Coming, dad!" A young girl with long braided orange hair ran up to the counter to retrieve the orders. Her mind was racing, but that didn't stop her from partaking in the whole social experience occurring around her.

Kino, the mere utterance of the name made her blush a deep crimson. She never knew the boy named Jack, probably because she spent most of her childhood helping out at the Inn and trying to avoid other kids her age. But either way, the man in the rider's outfit that she had seen at the church made her curious, the embarrassing kind. She couldn't go into specifics currently, but she would soon find time to think about it, in the shower…

"Careful, they're still hot." Ann quickly set down the three specials for the group of men who were conversing like old pals.

"Many thanks, young lady." Saibara, the local blacksmith, said as he took a drink from his large cup.

"Anytime, just don't go overboard like you did a night ago." The orange-haired girl took her leave to set out the rest of the meals.

"That kid, did you see what he was carrying on him?" Saibara asked the other men around him.

"Yeah, he looked pretty suspicious. I've never seen a traveler with those kinds of weapons, not visiting here, anyway." Basil, the herbologist of Mineral Town, added his own two cents.

"I've seen a couple of people like him during my own travels for medical training. He sort of looked like a mercenary, but not the bad kind that lives for the kill. I agree though, his choice of arms are rather odd." Tim, the doctor of the small village, said in a matter-of-fact style.

"I'd like to see him use them in a fight, I bet it would be a good display of skill. Maybe you should challenge him, eh, Sai?" Greg, Saibara's fishing companion, chided him humorously.

"Let's be fair with him. Besides, anyone who uses a sword nowadays is bound to have some high measure of experience in combat. Perhaps if I was younger…" The old blacksmith's eyes glassed over.

"Good job guys, he's going to start relaying his whole life to us again." Jeff, the town's supermarket owner, sighed deeply.

"Why you undeserving mustached, lemon drop sucking, little ninny! If it wasn't for me this place would…" Saibara's words were drowned out as Ann approached her next target.

"Here you go, ladies!" Ann sat the three orders of sashimi on the appropriate table, which was full of girls around her age that she was still developing a friendship with. There were four of them, to be exact. Her closest friend was Mary, a bespectacled girl with long black hair and a timid personality. On Mary's left sat Karen, the oldest of the bunch, and the most beautiful in her opinion. She was also considered the most mature and wise of them all. To Mary's right was Elli, the town's nurse, who was unconditionally nice to others but fierce when something rubbed her the wrong way. Across from her was Popuri, the youngest and most innocent of the group, and sometimes the most annoying because of it.

"Thanks, Ann!" they all replied in unison as they divided the food between themselves.

"So, Ann, what do you think about the new guy?" Karen asked with a slight smirk without looking up at her.

"I-I think he's…" She was at a loss for words, even though she was probably one of the most outgoing of people she never could say embarrassing things out loudly.

Everyone at the table started giggling like school girls, even Mary. "Wh-what's so funny?"

"You sound just like how you first reacted when you met him five years ago." Elli replied with a sisterly smile.

"I don't even remember meeting a Jack, what are you guys talking about?"

"How couldn't you remember, he's the one that tried to comfort you the most when your mom… Sorry, I forgot." Karen stared at the table, feeling the mood go down. Everyone knew how hard it was for Ann during that time, it wasn't much of a surprise that the girl didn't recall much from that year.

"You guys still believe he's that Jack person you were all talking about before?" Ann asked incredulously, hoping to counter the downswing in the uplifting atmosphere.

"What do you mean? It's the truth, and we even have proof of it!" Popuri protested by waving a hand to stop whatever could come out of Ann's mouth.

"Wait, when did we discuss there was proof?" Elli stared at the hyper pink-haired girl next to her.

"Oh, well I guess I was talking about it inside my head." Popuri stuck her tongue out childishly before rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

"I was eight at the time, but I remember perfectly what happened on a certain Moonlight Festival. Jack, Karen, Elli, and I gathered together to see the moon. It was all planned perfectly; I was in charge of bringing the snacks." She looked like an old woman, reminiscing with a hard gaze.

"But sometime during that night, after we had finished eating and talking for a bit, me and Elli…" Popuri closed her eyes, as if trying to erase whatever was in her mind.

The mahogany-haired nurse's head popped up in surprise. "I remember too! We were running around, near the cliff, playing tag. Karen and Jack were still looking up at the sky at the time. Then when we got too close-"

"You both fell, luckily Popuri grabbed a stray tree root as she fell. You were latching onto her leg." Karen's emerald eyes lit up in recognition. "That's when me and Jack tried pulling you two up. At the last second, he slipped on the ground because it had rained previously. We weren't able to grab him in time, so he fell all the way down..."

Ann and Mary stared at the three females with worry. "What happened to him afterwards?" The curious Inn waitress inquired.

"He fractured his ribs, broke one of his legs, and sustained major damage to his head. I remember crying when I saw him a week later, he didn't mean to, but showing me all those scars he got made me feel worse." Elli responded with a distant look on her face.

"And that's why I believe we have proof! He's bound to still have those scars, right?" Popuri chimed in happily.

Karen slammed her hand on the oaken table. "You're right! But...If we do find them there, why do you think he's denying being Jack?"

Mary fiddled around with her index fingers, her eyes darting back and forth between all of them. Maybe reading books wasn't such a bad thing, it did bring up some surprising connections and revelations in real life. "I read this book once, where the hero of the story woke up in a land far away. He walked the lands hearing about a man who fit his description, a man who was a renowned magician that disappeared mysteriously. The hero had no knowledge of his past, he had woken up knowing only how to use magic and operate normally in real life..." The shy girl took a moment to look at her friends.

"I'm...confused..." Popuri scratched her head with one eye closed and the other focused on Mary.

Karen patted Mary on the shoulder lightly and rose up from her chair. "You're brilliant, Mary!" All the girls stared at the hybrid blond with curiosity. "Don't you see what she's getting at? Jack could be a victim of amnesia or something, but whatever it is it's our duty to help him recover his memories of Mineral Town." She balled up her fists showing that she was dead serious.

No one seemed to disagree with her idea, she even saw Elli and Popuri's face light up at her resolve. "What about you two, Ann and Mary?"

"I don't get it, what's so special about him that makes all of you so damn obsessed?" Ann couldn't help but feel that there was some kind of black magic or curse set upon them. She had never seen them that interested in a male before, even the ones that went after them individually.

Elli was the first to respond. "He helped me become who I am now, if it wasn't for him I would probably still be a helpless, pitiful little girl. It was because of Jack that I became a nurse..." Seeing that the petite woman wasn't going to go any further in her explanation Ann nodded thoughtfully.

The pink-haired girl sat her hands in her lap before answering. "I was pretty spoiled back then, yet he treated me different, not like the other guys who started noticing me when I started...developing...He really showed me things that made my view of Mineral Town open up a different reality. I'm still trying to figure it out...But I'm sure I'm destined to be with Jack!" Ann couldn't help but smirk at how the other girls twitched at her confession. Popuri was still a child at heart it seemed.

"Don't get your hopes up Popuri. Remember, you have competition!" Karen gave a confident smirk while pushing her own chest out for intimidation. Popuri just stared at her with a clueless face, as if there were no such challenge at all.

"How about you, Karen?" Ann asked, glad that the tables had turned.

"I...It's none of your business. It involves me and him, no one else..." The boisterous young woman was replaced with a red faced young woman. A couple of cups of Aja Winery's grape wine would dissolve whatever barrier was left between her and the truth.

"So, does that mean all of you like him?" The orange-haired girl asked, surprised that one boy could net a young bunch of willing females using only a past history. She wasn't about to give up though, this was a small town with very few bachelors. The current stock didn't match her likes at all...

Each one of them nodded, except for Mary who sat there fidgeting with her glasses.

"Fine. I'll help jog his memory back, but know this. If and when it does, he's prime game, got that? No sneaky business behind each others back. That means no flirting whatsoever, not until you're sure he's fine again." Ann couldn't help but feel like they wouldn't keep true to their word.

"Agreed!" They all called out, each in a different manner of speech.

"Now that our meeting is adjourned, I got to get back to-" Ann didn't have a chance to speak when someone barged into the Inn's main doors.

"Doctor! It's Kino, he passed out at the town plaza. I found the child laying there, barely breathing and coughing up vomit mixed with blood!" Barley shouted in his highest possible voice.

"I'm on my way!" Doctor Tim called out as he followed Barley out the door in a rush. The noise that polluted the background didn't help calm the situation.

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**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading my first Harvest Moon fanfiction, and if you've read my other works, my third attempt at writing fanfiction. Right now I'm focusing on writing a story for any anime/game that I'm overly fond with. So far I have dabbed into the Naruto, Pokemon, and Harvest Moon (This) categories. I plan to write a Legend of Zelda, Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time, and Final Fantasy 7 story as well. That doesn't mean I'll stop updating the ones I have already released a chapter for, it just takes awhile for inspiration to appear before me. Hopefully my bad grammar and writing style didn't veer some of you off from reading the full story, I'm still practicing.

The ideas I have for this story will soon seem like a mixture of Rune Factory, for one aspect, because I can't help but want a little action in each of my stories. As for Kino, it should be obvious who he really is (If not, the bottom should be a huge clue). The name "Kino" came from this anime I watched called 'Kino's Journey'. I felt that I could make a male version of the female Kino, a water-downed one. I'll write a description for each major character, just because I know I won't be able to fully explain each one's character in the story, I'm still inexperienced. Anyways, I better get back to homework, summer classes at College is unrelenting for me.

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_**Main Character**_

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**Kino/Jack: **19

_Short Bio: _An enigmatic young man who tends to distrust others. Due to his amnesia he finds it difficult to react appropriately to many social experiences, especially when there are crowds involved. Because of that, Rod lent him books along their journey to read on their off time. Kino/Jack used their characters to construct his own personality. Though, it doesn't always help him. I'll have a link to the picture of his rider's (Kino's Journey Main Character Attire) outfit at the bottom of my profile page.

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_**Romantic Interests**_

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**Popuri: **16

_Short Bio: _Since her father left Popuri felt a large void in her life. Her brother's verbal and physical abusive tendencies didn't help her cope with her slight depression either. Over the years she came to embrace spirituality and focuses on being optimistic. Kino/Jack was her outlet for her sorrow back then, and now that he's back she wants to make it up to him.

**Karen: **21

_Short Bio: _A confident, sometimes hot-tempered, young woman who favors her relationship with Kino/Jack more than Rick's, who has been after her for quite awhile. Despite her outgoing personality, Karen is very secretive and tends to want to be by herself quite a bit. She claims that a red thread of fate is wound between her and Kino/Jack, referring to a promise that was made between them a long time ago.

**Mary: **18

_Short Bio: _A shy, quiet girl who is said to look dazed while reading or thinking too deeply about something. She basically pulls herself into the book's world when this happens. Because of this, she is often described as unrealistic, weird, and occasionally a "fantasy cultist". Kino/Jack, who has read and composed himself of other fictional characters, reminds her of various heroes from the books she had read, therefore causing her to develop a slight crush on him.

**Ann:** 20

_Short Bio: _Ann was a timid girl back then and stayed away from other children, fearing that she was too awkward to be around. Ever since her mother died two years previously, the people of Mineral Town were able to extract her from the depressing shell of her former self. Now she's more social and speaks her mind without care to the consequences. Even though her job requires her to memorize dishes and orders she is known to be quite forgetful when it comes to memories involving her experiences with others.

**Elli: **18

_Short Bio: _Due to her circumstances, Elli had to mature earlier than any of the other children. No parents, an elderly grandma, and once sibling to take care of. She never had much time to have fun, but whenever Kino/Jack visited he made it a point to bring out the child in her. After the incident where he fell off a cliff, Elli devoted herself to taking care of others using any means necessary. Kino/Jack shares a remarkable resemblance to her deceased father.

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**Final Note**

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As of today (8/22/09), I will be dropping many time consuming hobbies in order to address personal matters that take priority. One of these hobbies is writing fanfiction. Shortly after my last story update, I received a call from home, Gwangju (South Korea), about my adoptive father's passing away. I spent a week mourning with my family there, a group of people who I avoided for six years by taking off to America unannounced. My brother has inherited our family business, and proposed that I join him in running it, believing that my educational background involving macroeconomics and financing will be beneficial to keeping our father's legacy and establishment thriving. I thought about it on my way back to the States, and have concluded that I will try and help him and everyone else. For me, I don't feel deserving of such an opportunity, but I owe my father and caring relatives at least this much for what I've done (or better, lack of). To do this, I will have to sacrifice the lax lifestyle I have led for the past couple of years, dedicate myself to becoming reacquainting with my Korean culture/roots, and find a way to adjust to these alterations. I apologize to the very few readers that stayed patient with my mediocre writing style and ideas, and hope that you understand my decision. However, I will provide "cliff notes" of my incomplete stories, just so you know how I intended to direct their respective tales and endings. Many details will be missing due to the amount of time I have left before I leave. Feel free to take and incorporate any ideas you found interesting or noteworthy from my stories without fear of being accused of "stealing". I simply request the appropriate credit for them in an author's note.

My new life will be starting when I get on the plane, which is set to leave in six hours. To any readers who followed my works, thanks for reading and enjoying them. Wish me luck in my endeavors!


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